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About the Book

The seven contributions contained in this collection address various forms of manumission throughout the American South as well as the Caribbean. Topics include color, class, and identity on the eve of the Haitian revolution; where free persons of color stood in the hierarchy of wealth in antebellum

Table of Contents

The Journal Of American History Sept 1998 - T.Stephen Whitman

"Above all, these esays inject a much-needed political perspective on free black life…To recapitualte, the strengths of these essays lie in their complexifying our understanding of free black thought and action within slave societies, while developing common themes for further exploration by future scholarship…Both scholars and students will find Against the Odds a rewarding collection;for those teaching colonial or African history, this book may well be a valuable adoption."

The Journal of Southern History - reviewed by Edward L Cox

"Taken together, the essays chart new ground through their concentration on the strivings and activities of free people of colour rather than the larger societal structure of which they were a part."

Sage Race Relations Abstracts, Vol 22 No 1, Feb 97

"Throughout the book, the authors make excellent use of the source material available and provide the reader with a remarkable collection of essays.